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Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Check out Wink CZ
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
[Wink Jones] Introducing VALUE SELECT DIAMONDS, Affordable elegance
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Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Winks Blog, Wink CZ is giving stuff away!
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Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Winks Blog, WinkCZ is giving stuff away!
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Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Winks Blog Only two days left on our earring give away
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Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Steal a Peek at Steel Diamonds
Over the course of thirty years, working in virtual seclusion from the mainstream, Daniel Brush has created an unparalleled body of work. His career includes international painting exhibitions, a fifteen-year period of seclusion and study, and an intense immersion into the mysteries of gold. His large-scale canvases and drawings—inspired by the expressive, disciplined gestures of the Noh theatre—integrate the artist's profound understanding of Asian thought with the removed drama in modernist painting. Brush's three-dimensional works—products of solitary thought, study and experimentation—are included in many public, private and royal collections. These works include delicate granulated gold domes in the traditions of the ancient goldsmiths, jewel-encrusted objects of virtue and fantasy and gold and steel sculptures, some only a few inches high. Imbued with a timeless quality and mesmerizing in the intricacy and daring of the fabrication, Brush's objects bear comparison with the work of historical masters. His current wall pieces in blued steel and pure gold engage the ambient light. Brush’s table works in stainless steel and pure gold, hand-engraved with thousands of rhythmic lines, are visual poems that record the passage of time. Daniel Brush has developed a rigorous personal aesthetic marked by its intellectual force, mastery of techniques and the science of materials. His idiosyncratic, contemplative work marks a journey of evolving mastery, and bodies forth a deeply expressive voice in American art. ~DanielBrush.com
His latest masterpiece has landed him a featured article in the world's leading Diamond and Gem Magazine, Rapaport. The following are excerpts from the interview Brush gave to Rapaport regarding his newest style of art and craftsmanship:
Unlike some of Brush’s previous work, such as his sumptuously granulated objects, this recent work looks relatively simple. But a much closer look, under a high-power loupe, and a discussion with the artist reveal that the diamonds are not precisely and uniformly cut stones used in contemporary pavé work. Instead, these are Mughal-era diamonds, individually cut and unique in their proportions. Each and every one must be coaxed into place. “Steel is moving icebergs into position,” Brush muses about working with such an intransigent metal. When he set out on this “Mission Impossible,” he discovered that “steel” is not a singular metal but rather a nearly endless range of alloys.
STEEL EXPLAINED “There are over 5,000 kinds of steel,” Brush explains, “and different metals do different things.” For a metalsmith, two of the most important qualities are the metal’s malleability and its ductility. “I have to know what is in it, so I know how to work it,” he points out. In spite of the industrial equipment that occupies nearly half of his spacious New York City loft, the question had to be asked: “Did you buy any new tools to do this work?” “I bought an entire metal workshop,” Brush replies. “I got obsessed with steel because I thought it was indestructible.” That very quality makes it difficult to work and he is eager and delighted to explain the qualities of steel alloys, and especially the alloy he has chosen to work with. “I like stainless because it is so hard; it rejects oxidation….The material
has porosity.” has porosity.” Brush compares working with steel to “getting in a ring and doing battle.” His basic material arrives at the workshop as a billet of dull-looking metal, nine to ten feet long, which he says, “I cut by hand, saw by hand, set by hand.” His Mughal-era diamonds need to be sifted. “They’re sifted by me, repeatedly, to achieve as uniform of a diameter as possible,” he explains. It’s not easy to drill holes in the metal, to create a space for setting the diamonds. Each hole must be drilled individually, as he goes. To accomplish the work, Brush does the setting under a 40-power microscope. These extremely brilliant stones satisfy his goal to “draw with light. They’re refracting so much light.” Two collections of delicate diamond pieces are among the most lighthearted works in the retrospective show. Their titles, “Loose Threads” and “Geometric Light,” are remarkably descriptive. While the Geometric Light pieces are easily worn, as he demonstrates by quickly affixing one to his wife, Olivia’s, dress, “Loose Threads” is meant more as a wall hanging consisting of a group of individual pieces. They were inspired by the loose threads often found on his wife, a textile designer. In spite of the public attention to the work created by the retrospective at the museum, Brush is likely to remain one of those secrets like invisibly set gemstones, treasured by those in the know. Siegelson concludes, “In the small world of art critics, experts and collectors who truly understand great jewelry, Daniel Brush’s work is held in the highest regard and coveted. Despite the newfound popularity and attention to Brush’s work, the supply of his work will remain limited as Brush creates all of his work completely by his own hand. Pieces already in collectors’ hands rarely come to market.” “Daniel Brush: Blue Steel Gold Light” runs through February 17, 2013, at the
Museum of Arts and Design at Columbus Circle in New York City.
As an appreciator of the arts and a lady, I fell in love with his combination of diamond and steel in such a unique way; but as the woman of a blacksmith I thoroughly enjoyed his passion for this complex alloy, as well as his endurance to not only work with it; but make it his own.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Where in the World...?
Economic bulletins may not be considered the most exciting thing in the news at times; but I find these ones, on the world economy in diamonds, very interesting. It is fascinating how everything in our world pieces together, whether it is economics, politics, money or entertainment; oh what an interesting study in humanity as a whole. Here are the Economic Bulletins for the World as we know it in Diamonds; as reported by Rapaport Magazine.
U.S. POLISHED IMPORTS PLUMMET
U.S. polished diamond imports plunged 21 percent year on year in October to
$1.44 billion. By volume, polished imports dropped 26 percent to 881,166 carats.
BELGIUM’S POLISHED EXPORTS FALL
Belgium’s polished diamond exports fell 8 percent year on year to $1.15 billion in November, according to data published by the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC). By volume, diamond exports declined 12 percent to 562,722 carats as the average price of the polished goods rose 1 percent to $1,840.73 per carat.
INDIA’S POLISHED EXPORTS CLIMB
India’s polished diamond exports rose 20 percent year on year to $1.42 billion in November, after several months of weak activity, the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) data showed. However, by volume, polished exports declined 10 percent to 2.64 million carats during November as the average price of the exports surged 34 percent to $535.80 per carat.
ISRAEL’S POLISHED EXPORTS DROP IN 2012
Israel’s polished diamond exports fell 23 percent year on year to $5.56 billion in 2012, the Israel Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor reported. Shmuel Mordechai, Israel’s diamond comptroller, noted that the negative trend was strongest in the first half of the year, while trading improved from August forward. In 2012:
HARRY WINSTON SALES SOAR
Harry Winston Diamond Corporation reported that its consolidated sales jumped
51 percent year on year to $180.4 million for the third quarter that ended on October 31. The integrated mining company improved its consolidated net profit to $3.4 million compared with a loss of $4.7 million one year ago.
JAPAN’S POLISHED IMPORTS UP
Japan’s polished diamond imports rose 9.1 percent year on year to $67.8 million in November, Momozawa reported, citing the country’s Finance Ministry.
U.S. POLISHED IMPORTS PLUMMET
U.S. polished diamond imports plunged 21 percent year on year in October to
$1.44 billion. By volume, polished imports dropped 26 percent to 881,166 carats.
- Polished diamond exports fell nearly 5 percent to $1.12 billion.
- Rough diamond imports dived 27 percent to $27 million.
- Rough diamond exports dropped 13 percent to $20 million.
BELGIUM’S POLISHED EXPORTS FALL
Belgium’s polished diamond exports fell 8 percent year on year to $1.15 billion in November, according to data published by the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC). By volume, diamond exports declined 12 percent to 562,722 carats as the average price of the polished goods rose 1 percent to $1,840.73 per carat.
- Polished diamond imports dropped 11 percent to $1.04 billion.
- Rough diamond imports increased 10 percent to $1.1 billion.
- Rough diamond exports fell 11 percent to $1.04 billion.
| Economic Bulletin - January 2013 Play Slideshow | ||
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| Rough Imports |
INDIA’S POLISHED EXPORTS CLIMB
India’s polished diamond exports rose 20 percent year on year to $1.42 billion in November, after several months of weak activity, the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) data showed. However, by volume, polished exports declined 10 percent to 2.64 million carats during November as the average price of the exports surged 34 percent to $535.80 per carat.
- Polished diamond imports fell 52 percent to $389.46 million.
- Rough diamond imports declined 22 percent to approximately $892 million.
- Rough diamond exports fell 25 percent to $110.4 million.
ISRAEL’S POLISHED EXPORTS DROP IN 2012
Israel’s polished diamond exports fell 23 percent year on year to $5.56 billion in 2012, the Israel Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor reported. Shmuel Mordechai, Israel’s diamond comptroller, noted that the negative trend was strongest in the first half of the year, while trading improved from August forward. In 2012:
- Polished diamond imports decreased by 25 percent to $4.27 billion.
- Rough diamond imports dropped 13 percent to $3.83 billion.
- Rough diamond exports fell 20 percent to $2.8 billion.
HARRY WINSTON SALES SOAR
Harry Winston Diamond Corporation reported that its consolidated sales jumped
51 percent year on year to $180.4 million for the third quarter that ended on October 31. The integrated mining company improved its consolidated net profit to $3.4 million compared with a loss of $4.7 million one year ago.
- Rough diamond sales increased 134 percent to $84.8 million due to a 286 percent increase in the volume of carats sold.
- During the quarter, the company sold approximately 880,000 carats at an average price of $96 per carat.
- The 39 percent decrease in average rough prices resulted primarily from the sale of a higher portion of smaller-size diamonds.
- Rough diamond production for the calendar quarter that ended on September 30 was flat at 770,000 carats.
JAPAN’S POLISHED IMPORTS UP
Japan’s polished diamond imports rose 9.1 percent year on year to $67.8 million in November, Momozawa reported, citing the country’s Finance Ministry.
- By volume, the imports grew 47 percent to 193,305 carats.
- The average price of the goods fell 26 percent to $351 per carat.
Friday, January 11, 2013
OVER 50!!!
I have been keeping up on the Rapaport News since I started writing this blog, and it has been fascinating. I read an article in from their January 2013 issue and the girl in me swooned at the idea of not only wearing a 50 carat diamond, but snuggling up to it at night, taking it out on dates... etc. Suffice it to say these rocks are more than merely shiny, they are hypnotic. Here is the article, Miss Amber Michelle put it so well, I'll let you read her original article.
BY Amber Michelle
Four diamonds over 50 carats each, a crowded salesroom and spirited bidding made for an exciting Magnificent Jewels auction at Christie’s New York, complete with all the drama of dueling bidders who fueled strong prices throughout the sale.
“Coming off of a $305 million record for the first six months of 2012, the fall season kicks off with four 50-carat diamonds in the same sale,” notes Rahul Kadakia, head of jewelry, Christie’s Americas and Switzerland. “At auction, things come in when they do. Right now, everyone knows that diamond prices are high.”
Bidding at the mid-October sale was swift and confident for most lots and the sale garnered $49,993,175 against a presale estimate of $35 million to $45 million. With a good number of the lots exceeding their high estimates, the
369-lot sale was sold 93 percent by dollar value and 87 percent by lot, with 320 lots finding buyers. This compares to Christie’s New York April sale of Magnificent Jewels that tallied up an astonishing $70,726,650 against a presale estimate of $40 million. That 304-lot sale was sold 97 percent by dollar value and 95 percent by lot, with 290 of the lots finding buyers. Christie’s New York October 2011 335-lot sale totaled $46,599,650.
DIAMONDS DAZZLE
The top lot of the day was a 50.52-carat,
pear-shaped, D flawless, type IIa diamond pendant, which sold to a private collector for $9,490,500* against an estimate of
$7.5 million to $10 million. The price comes out to $188,000 per carat. Bidding was decisive and rapid for the pendant as the audience in the room held its collective breath to see just how high the bidders would go before someone blinked and dropped out.
A pair of pear-shaped diamond earrings — one a yellow diamond weighing 52.78 carats, suspended from a round white diamond of 6.93 carats and the other, a white K-color stone of 50.31 carats, suspended from a round yellow weighing 7.02 carats — sold for $4,674,500 to Aleks Paul, Essex Global Trading. The fourth supersized diamond
was a 68.35-carat oval-shaped fancy intense yellow internally flawless stone. Five bidders duked it out until a tenacious U.S.–based dealer finally won out, paying $3,162,500, or $46,000 per carat.
Diamonds were selling briskly for strong prices in sizes above 10 carats. The market for smaller stones was spotty, with some finding buyers and others not. One dealer noted that the auction market is not that interested in the 1-, 2- and 3-carat white diamonds, preferring instead to focus on bigger and rarer stones of top quality.
HIGH BID PADDLES
Newly introduced to this sale was the “High Bid Paddle,” with bright red bidder numbers. Certain lots
were limited to only those bidders with the special paddles. When the lot was up for grabs, there was an announcement “high bid paddles only.” Explains Kadakia, “This is a system we have had in place at
our salesroom in Hong Kong for a few years now and we are slowly implementing it into all salesrooms where lots are getting more and more expensive. The general limit is $1 million and above and, in some cases, we will list lots that may be priced below $1 million but where we know the final result will be significantly more.”
Bidders came from around the globe for the sale, and whether in the room, on the phone or online,
bidding was international. The U.S. trade was very active in the sale, but bidding was highly competitive and it required nerves of steel and tremendous discipline to know when to move forward with a bid and when to stop because it just wasn’t profitable to pay more. Some privates in the room came prepared to buy, but as prices climbed quickly, they were shut out of the bidding before they even got to raise their paddles. One woman was so anxious to acquire a jewel that she put her paddle up in the air and held it there in an effort to keep up with the rapid bidding, only lowering the paddle when the other bids zoomed beyond her means.
“Prices are very strong for the best and rare diamonds, colored diamonds, pearls and stamped items. There were very strong prices,” commented Claude Sfeir, Sfeir Jewelry, Beirut, who mentioned that he was the under-bidder on the pear-shaped yellow and white diamond earrings. He did, however, pay $50,000 for the diamond and pearl flower blossom earrings by Indian designer Bhagat, the sale of which benefits the Salaam Bombay Children’s Fund.
“At almost $190,000 per carat for a 50-carat D flawless, $46,000 per carat for an intense yellow of 68 carats and $210,000 per carat for a fancy light pink — these are diamond prices that are as healthy as they have ever been,” sums up Kadakia. “It’s a great sign of confidence in the market as we go into the fall season.”
*All prices include buyer’s premium.
Four diamonds — each over 50 carats — were the stars of Christie’s New York Magnificent Jewels auction.
 |
| A 68.35-carat oval-shaped fancy intense yellow internally flawless diamond sold for $3,162,599. |
Four diamonds over 50 carats each, a crowded salesroom and spirited bidding made for an exciting Magnificent Jewels auction at Christie’s New York, complete with all the drama of dueling bidders who fueled strong prices throughout the sale.
“Coming off of a $305 million record for the first six months of 2012, the fall season kicks off with four 50-carat diamonds in the same sale,” notes Rahul Kadakia, head of jewelry, Christie’s Americas and Switzerland. “At auction, things come in when they do. Right now, everyone knows that diamond prices are high.”
Bidding at the mid-October sale was swift and confident for most lots and the sale garnered $49,993,175 against a presale estimate of $35 million to $45 million. With a good number of the lots exceeding their high estimates, the
369-lot sale was sold 93 percent by dollar value and 87 percent by lot, with 320 lots finding buyers. This compares to Christie’s New York April sale of Magnificent Jewels that tallied up an astonishing $70,726,650 against a presale estimate of $40 million. That 304-lot sale was sold 97 percent by dollar value and 95 percent by lot, with 290 of the lots finding buyers. Christie’s New York October 2011 335-lot sale totaled $46,599,650.
 |
| Pear-shaped diamond earrings — in which each of the two large stones weighed more than 50 carats — sold for $4,674,500. |
The top lot of the day was a 50.52-carat,
pear-shaped, D flawless, type IIa diamond pendant, which sold to a private collector for $9,490,500* against an estimate of
$7.5 million to $10 million. The price comes out to $188,000 per carat. Bidding was decisive and rapid for the pendant as the audience in the room held its collective breath to see just how high the bidders would go before someone blinked and dropped out.
A pair of pear-shaped diamond earrings — one a yellow diamond weighing 52.78 carats, suspended from a round white diamond of 6.93 carats and the other, a white K-color stone of 50.31 carats, suspended from a round yellow weighing 7.02 carats — sold for $4,674,500 to Aleks Paul, Essex Global Trading. The fourth supersized diamond
was a 68.35-carat oval-shaped fancy intense yellow internally flawless stone. Five bidders duked it out until a tenacious U.S.–based dealer finally won out, paying $3,162,500, or $46,000 per carat.
Diamonds were selling briskly for strong prices in sizes above 10 carats. The market for smaller stones was spotty, with some finding buyers and others not. One dealer noted that the auction market is not that interested in the 1-, 2- and 3-carat white diamonds, preferring instead to focus on bigger and rarer stones of top quality.
HIGH BID PADDLES
Newly introduced to this sale was the “High Bid Paddle,” with bright red bidder numbers. Certain lots
were limited to only those bidders with the special paddles. When the lot was up for grabs, there was an announcement “high bid paddles only.” Explains Kadakia, “This is a system we have had in place at
our salesroom in Hong Kong for a few years now and we are slowly implementing it into all salesrooms where lots are getting more and more expensive. The general limit is $1 million and above and, in some cases, we will list lots that may be priced below $1 million but where we know the final result will be significantly more.”
Bidders came from around the globe for the sale, and whether in the room, on the phone or online,
bidding was international. The U.S. trade was very active in the sale, but bidding was highly competitive and it required nerves of steel and tremendous discipline to know when to move forward with a bid and when to stop because it just wasn’t profitable to pay more. Some privates in the room came prepared to buy, but as prices climbed quickly, they were shut out of the bidding before they even got to raise their paddles. One woman was so anxious to acquire a jewel that she put her paddle up in the air and held it there in an effort to keep up with the rapid bidding, only lowering the paddle when the other bids zoomed beyond her means.
“Prices are very strong for the best and rare diamonds, colored diamonds, pearls and stamped items. There were very strong prices,” commented Claude Sfeir, Sfeir Jewelry, Beirut, who mentioned that he was the under-bidder on the pear-shaped yellow and white diamond earrings. He did, however, pay $50,000 for the diamond and pearl flower blossom earrings by Indian designer Bhagat, the sale of which benefits the Salaam Bombay Children’s Fund.
“At almost $190,000 per carat for a 50-carat D flawless, $46,000 per carat for an intense yellow of 68 carats and $210,000 per carat for a fancy light pink — these are diamond prices that are as healthy as they have ever been,” sums up Kadakia. “It’s a great sign of confidence in the market as we go into the fall season.”
*All prices include buyer’s premium.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
The Year in Diamonds... Worldwide
RAPAPORT
Caution: Automatic Jan. 1 U.S. tax hikes may significantly reduce diamond demand…News: U.S. holiday sales disappoint as consumer confidence slides on stalled budget talks. Final effort to beat fiscal cliff deadline expected but inevitable tax hike will reduce 2013 jewelry demand. MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse reports Nov./Dec. retail sales +0.7% vs. +2% in 2011. comScore says online sales +16%. Diamond trading quiet as U.S. and Belgian markets close for Christmas break and Indian manufacturing cautiously resumes after Diwali. Israel and other markets focusing on Far East Chinese New Year demand. The Rapaport Group wishes everyone a happy, healthy, prosperous and peaceful New Year.
Fancies: Fancy market steady. Smaller sizes selling well with good demand for 3/4's. Lower fancy shape price points attracting price sensitive buyers. Demand for Princess replacing Cushions. Improving demand for fancies at attractive price points encouraging manufacturers to shift production to fancy shapes. Extreme price differentials between excellent/fine and average cut fancy shapes. Caution: Prices for green, grey and brown tinted diamonds 10-15% below non-tinted. Green tint often indicates Marange origin.Global Markets
United States: Wholesale diamond trading is quiet with most businesses closed between Christmas and New Year. There are still mixed reports regarding the holiday wholesale season with many waiting for January returns before giving a final assessment. Nice-make, princess cuts in SI qualities are in demand and difficult to source. Retailers report flat sales compared to last year. While there is some optimism for a better year in 2013, the stalled fiscal cliff negotiations are weighing down confidence amid concern that higher taxes will result in tighter jewelry spending. 
Belgium: Trading is quiet with most businesses closed between Christmas and New Year and bourse services officially closed during the week. Many Antwerp-based Indian dealers have traveled to Mumbai for the period. There is steady demand for 0.50-carat to 3-carat, G-H, VS2 goods and the same sizes in D-F, SI1 categories, as well as good demand for nice-make fancies. Rough trading is weak due to the season but also as dealers and manufacturers are concerned about high prices and their subsequent potential to profit in the first quarter of 2013. 
Israel: Trading is stable in Ramat Gan with the focus shifting from supply to the U.S. toward the Far East for the Chinese New Year. There is a sense that December was better than expected even as trading remains below levels seen in previous years. Demand is strong for nice-make, triple EX goods, which are difficult to find. There is also relatively strong demand for princess cut diamonds. Traders are optimistic the market will improve in 2013.
India: Polished trading was restrained as most foreign buyers remained away during the Christmas season. There is some demand for small size goods from visiting Indian buyers based in Antwerp and stable Far East demand for dossiers. There is relatively good demand and short supply of SI- clarity stones. Domestic jewelry demand is steady due to the ongoing wedding season. Rough trading has yet to pick up as sufficient supply and weak demand continue to define the market. Manufacturing remains at below capacity.
China: Jewelers are working to boost year-end sales with promotions and discounts amid rising competition from online retailers. Wholesale diamond buying remains cautious and dealers are still avoiding large purchases. While sales growth cooled in 2012, many expect new government stimulus plans will boost consumption in 2013. Demand is concentrated on the traditional Chinese goods in the category of round, 0.30-carat to 1.10-carat, D-H, VS-SI, GIA-certified stones, with rising interest for fancy shape and fancy color diamonds. 
Hong Kong: There has been some improvement in wholesale diamond demand but concern about the global economy – particularly the U.S. fiscal cliff – continues to diminish confidence to buy diamonds. Jewelry retailers note improved sales during the Christmas shopping season, including for better quality diamond jewelry.
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